Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the five-year survival rates for (a) lung, (b) liver, (c) brain, (d) stomach, (e) pancreatic and (f) oesophageal cancer.

Jo Churchill: Although survival rates are at a record high and continue to improve, the Government know that there is more to do. Survival rates for all cancers will be improved by diagnosing cancers earlier and beginning treatment at an earlier stage. This is why in October 2018 the Government announced a package of measures that will be rolled out across the country with the aim of seeing three quarters of all cancers detected at an early stage by 2028. The plan will radically overhaul screening programmes, provide new investment in state of the art technology to transform the process of diagnosis, and boost research and innovation.As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement will shortly be introducing a Faster Diagnostic Standard of 28 days for all cancer patients, including those with lung, liver, brain, stomach, pancreatic, and oesophageal cancer, which when taken together with the 62-day referral to treatment standard, will mean that all patients should expect to start their treatment within 34 days of diagnosis.NHS England is rolling out Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs) across the country to bring together the latest diagnostic equipment and expertise, in line with the NHS Long Term Plan commitment. This programme builds on the Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centre (MDC) model piloted through the Accelerate, Coordinate and Evaluate (ACE) programme, which focussed on diagnosing cancers where patients often present with non-specific symptoms and may go to their GP many times before being sent for appropriate tests. As of March 2020, 17 RDCs are currently live.NHS England is extending lung health checks, targeting clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) with the lowest survival rates. In Greater Manchester introducing low dose CT health checks saw an almost five fold reduction in stage 4 disease, with 80% of cancers diagnosed at an early stage.NHS England has committed funding of over £1.3 billion over the next five years to deliver the commitments on cancer in the Long Term Plan.

Prescription Drugs

Marco Longhi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend the range of healthcare professionals permitted to administer and prescribe low-risk medicines.

Jo Churchill: The Department has no current plans to extend the range of healthcare professionals permitted to administer low-risk medicines. Under a patient specific direction, a registered prescriber can give a third-party clear instruction to enable them to administer prescribed medicines to a patient. This means of administering medicines is used widely in the health service under current powers.A range of National Health Service professionals can train to prescribe medicines now including nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, midwives, physiotherapists and optometrists.The Medicines and Medical Devices Bill, currently before Parliament, will allow us to continue to update the professions who can train to supply medicines or prescribe them where it is safe and appropriate to do so, replacing the European Communities Act 1972. Any regulatory change to supply or prescribing powers would be subject to public consultation.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) limit the chances of infection of and (b) provide other support to people with pre-existing respiratory conditions during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: There are some clinical conditions which put people at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This includes people with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD. If an individual is in this ‘extremely vulnerable’ category, the NHS will be in direct contact with advice on the more stringent measures that should be taken in order for the person concerned to shield themselves. For those in the shielded category this advice is constantly kept under review.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made in developing a sexual and reproductive health strategy; and what the timescale is for the (a) development and (b) publication of that strategy.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking in the forthcoming sexual and reproductive health strategy to (a) improve health-related quality of life, (b) tackle stigma and discrimination, (c) address inequalities in service provision and (d) support the mental health needs of people living with HIV.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what topics he plans to include in the sexual and reproductive health strategy.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which organisations he plans to consult during the development of the sexual and reproductive health strategy.

Jo Churchill: Work on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy has been temporarily paused while the Department focuses on managing the response to COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has provided to (a) people living with cancer and (b) their families and people who care for them during the covid-19 outbreak.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide guidance to people (a) living with and (b) caring for people with cancer on whether they should self-isolate as a precautionary measure during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The National Health Service has been contacting patients that are at high risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus since 23 March 2020. This will include people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment.NHS England and NHS Improvement suggest that patients read the advice given on the NHS website which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/Further advice can be found on the MacMillan website at the following link:https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/physical-help/cancer-and-coronavirus

Coronavirus: Rare Diseases

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance on social distancing published by Public Health England on 16 March 2020, whether patients with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases are considered as being at increased risk of severe illness from covid-19; and whether those patients will receive direct advice from the NHS on the steps they need to take to keep themselves safe.

Jo Churchill: One of the groups of people that the National Health Service advises to be at high risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 is those receiving immunosuppression therapies, enough to significantly increase risk of infection.The advice for those classed as high risk is to follow the Government’s guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19.The NHS has been contacting those considered to be at high risk since 23 March 2020 with specific advice about the actions they should take. However, it is not possible to identify all clinically high-risk individuals through existing central databases, particularly those receiving specialist treatments or where disease severity would support the application of general social distancing advice. General practitioners and specialists are identifying and contacting patients who, may fall into the clinically high-risk group.Patients are encouraged to visit Gov.UK for full advice on protecting themselves if they are at high risk from coronavirus.

Coronavirus: Dental Services

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has published on the attendance of patients at dental practices during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: As outlined in the Government’s COVID-19 outbreak guidance all non-urgent dental procedures, surgeries and visits should be postponed. Non-emergency appointments include regular, maintenance visits such as cleanings, routine exams, x-rays, whitening, and treatment of non-painful tooth issues.On 25 March NHS England sent updated guidance letters to all dental practices outlining this new advice. To ensure accurate information is being provided to the public we are asking that dental practices update their messaging and websites; contact their regional commissioner should practice availability hours alter as a result of staffing levels; and inform the commissioner of these changes and the arrangements for cover. Their regional commissioner will then inform the Directory of Services lead so that NHS 111 is up to date with the correct information. A copy of guidance and this letter can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-dohttps://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/issue-3-preparedness-letter-for-primary-dental-care-25-march-2020.pdfNotification of the measured resumption of dental services was issued by NHS England on 28 May with further guidance to the profession to follow.

Health Services: Technology

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on (a) improving access to innovative medicines and (b) fostering the life sciences sector of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence health technology evaluation review.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to undertake its methods and processes in a way that (a) enables the attractiveness of the UK as a place to conduct clinical trials or supply human medicines and (b) enables that organisation to fulfil its statutory duty to promote innovation.

Jo Churchill: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is reviewing its methods for the development of technology appraisal and highly specialised technology recommendations in line with the commitment in the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. The scheme also states the Government’s expectations for the review as follows: ‘“The Department expects that any future changes to NICE methods and processes would respond to the new types of innovation coming to the market, be consistent with improving the health gain achieved by spending on new innovative medicines, and support faster adoption of the most clinically and cost effective medicines.”’

Clinical Trials

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has provided to regulatory and health authorities on ensuring that the UK remains an attractive place to conduct clinical trials and supply human medicines.

Jo Churchill: The Department is working directly with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Health Research Authority, NHS England and NHS Improvement, the National Institute for Health Research and other partners across the health and life sciences sectors to ensure that the United Kingdom remains an attractive place to conduct clinical trials and supply human medicines.The Medicines and Medical Devices Bill provides the UK the means to remain a world-leading regulator and an important market for medicines and medical devices and supports the delivery of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy to make the UK a leading global hub for life sciences. The Bill makes clear the importance of ensuring the UK is an attractive place to bring new products to market and conduct clinical trials, specifying that before making any regulations under the Bill, the Secretary of State must consider this point.We are determined to maintain the UK’s position as one of the best locations globally to run clinical trials.

Coronavirus: Dental Services

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice is being issued to dentists on covid-19.

Jo Churchill: NHS England issued guidance, on 20 March 2020, setting out expectations for primary care dentistry to minimise spread of disease and protect dentists and patients during the current pandemic. The advice includes radically reducing the number of routine check-ups and agreeing local arrangements to consolidate, where necessary, the provision of any essential, routine National Health Service work that cannot be delayed and urgent dental problems. NHS England has now established over 550 urgent dental care centres across England to provide face to face dental treatment to patients who need this urgently. They are expected to offer the full range of clinically necessary dental treatment. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Issue-2-Preparedness-letter-for-primary-dental-care-20-March-2020.pdfNotification of the measured resumption of dental services was issued by NHS England on 28 May with further guidance to the profession to follow.

Dental Services: Contracts

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) dentists and (b) NHS dentists contracts will be covered by emergency financial support.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement issued guidance on 25 March setting out arrangements for National Health Service dental care during the pandemic period and the financial support being put in place for NHS dental contract holders and those working on NHS dental contracts. The intention is that as far as possible remuneration levels are unaffected.The full guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/issue-3-preparedness-letter-for-primary-dental-care-25-march-2020.pdf

Health Services: Coronavirus

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance she is issuing to public health officers to take into account a person’s wellbeing and personal requirements under schedule 20 of the Coronavirus Bill.

Jo Churchill: The guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to public health officers will include guidance on wellbeing and personal circumstances. However, public health officers are trained in taking into account a person’s wellbeing. This will be no different for responding to someone suspected of having COVID-19.The guidance to public health officers (PHOs) will set out that a PHO should give particular consideration to the needs of people with protected characteristics for example, the needs of children, the elderly, those with disabilities, those with existing medical conditions, those with mental health conditions, those who are pregnant, those who may not speak English, and any other groups on whom the impact of those requirements might be greater than would otherwise be the case. For example, individuals with mobility needs may need to be provided with appropriate accommodation and adjustments made if they are to be placed into supported isolation.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what  assessment he has made of the adequacy of facilities in the UK to manufacture a covid-19 vaccine.

Jo Churchill: The Government announced a £46 million package on 6 March that will be used to fund urgent work on finding a vaccine and developing a rapid test for the disease. Eight possible COVID-19 vaccines are currently under development and efforts are being made to get any viable vaccines from sequencing of the virus to clinical testing in under a year and United Kingdom experts and scientists expect to start trials for the first vaccine within a month.

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing free inhalers to health and social care workers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department has no plans to change the list of exemptions from National Health Service prescription charges. Arrangements are already in place to help people access inhalers and other medication they need.

Coronavirus: Pharmacy

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to help community pharmacies handle increased patient walk-ins as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 21 April 2020



We have re-prioritised the services commissioned by the National Health Service and have delayed the introduction of new services and pilot programmes to maximise capacity in community pharmacy to supply medicines and provide health advice. We have also worked with the General Pharmaceutical Council to increase the workforce available.NHS England and NHS Improvement has updated the COVID-19 standard operating procedure for community pharmacy to allow for all pharmacies to close to the public for two and half hours a day, if necessary. This will give pharmacy staff the time to focus on safely dispensing prescriptions and providing advice over the phone, together with giving them the opportunity to maintain the hygiene of pharmacies and take necessary rest breaks.

Coronavirus: Electronic Commerce

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that retailers receive the list of vulnerable peoples in order to support online deliveries.

Jo Churchill: There are some clinical conditions which put people at an even higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to complex health problems. These clinically extremely vulnerable people have been advised to shield themselves by staying at home at all times.Wherever possible, those shielding should rely on friends, family and wider community support to help them with any essential activities like shopping. Where this is not possible those shielding are eligible for food delivery which they register for via the web or by phone. Once these individuals have registered, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides the details of all those eligible to supermarkets so that they are given priority for online deliveries.

Speech and Language Therapy: Coronavirus

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials from his Department have had with representatives of (a) NHS England and (b) Public Health England on the aerosol generating procedures undertaken by speech and language therapists.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom Government has published guidance on appropriate personal protective equipment for health and social care workers and provides a list of current procedures which are considered to be potentially infectious aerosol generating procedures for COVID-19. This guidance has been written and reviewed by all four UK public health bodies and informed by NHS infection prevention control experts. It is based on Health Protection Scotland evidence reviews and the evidence and reviews have been endorsed by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. It is regularly reviewed and updated.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the Library the background material from which the Deputy Chief Medical Officer concluded on 20 March 2020 that problems with deliveries of personal protective equipment were completely resolved now; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s comments on 20 March referred to specific problems with deliveries to National Health Service trusts, in line with Public Health England personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance at that time. Further distribution problems arose soon after and at the daily press conference on 31 March the Deputy Chief Medical Officer apologised and acknowledged that soon after her comment on 20 March problems with distribution had returned.Systems set up to supply 226 NHS trusts have increased their operations in a matter of weeks to provide drops of critical equipment to 58,000 healthcare settings including general practitioners, pharmacies and social care providers. This has required a huge increase in the logistics capability.

Disease Control: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated from the public purse to pandemic preparedness in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom’s influenza pandemic preparedness is based on a ‘defence in depth’ strategy to minimise spread of infection and treat individual cases. In addition to plans to surge National Health Service provision, including critical care, the strategy involves measures to reduce the demand on those NHS services by reducing the risk of transmission and minimising serious illness, including through the stockpiling of personal protective equipment and antivirals.As this strategy is multi-faceted and it involves many organisations and departments, including the National Health Service, it is not possible to identify a single source of expenditure that accurately represents our pandemic preparedness. Since 2016-17, NHS England’s funding has increased every year in real terms. NHS England’s mandate is £129.7 billion this year, reaching £137.5 billion in 2023-24.

NHS Trusts: Protective Clothing

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many items of (a) fluid repellent surgical face masks, (b) disposable respirators (FFP3/ FFP2/ N95), (c) fluid repellent gowns, (d) eye goggles and (e) visors have been delivered to each trust in England in each month of 2020.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of personal protective equipment in NHS Trusts since 31 January 2020.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that additional personal protective equipment is provided to all (a) NHS Trusts and (b) social care settings.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that staff receive adequate (a) information and (b) training on the safe use of personal protective equipment.

Jo Churchill: Since the outbreak began, we have delivered over 1 billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the health and social care system within England, plus tens of millions more will have been distributed by the devolved administrations. We are now providing essential PPE supplies to 58,000 different providers. Every single National Health Service trust has now had a PPE delivery.The full weight of the Government is behind this effort and we are working closely with industry, social care providers, the NHS, NHS Supply Chain and the army so all NHS and care staff have the protection they need.The United Kingdom Government has published clear guidance on appropriate PPE for health and care workers based upon clinical expertise. Our guidance is consistent with World Health Organization guidance for protecting health and social care workers from COVID-19.Guidance, including videos, on the use of PPE for aerosol generating procedures is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-use-for-aerosol-generating-procedures

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of streamlining the clinically extremely vulnerable persons' registration process so that an applicant can register without an NHS number.

Jo Churchill: Individuals who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable have been advised to shield to protect themselves. The process of registration is to enable this group to access extra support during this time.People can register online without their National Health Service number but registering with their NHS number is more efficient as registrations are appropriately matched with the shielded patient list.Everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable will receive a letter from their general practitioner or from the NHS informing them of the need to register. NHS numbers can be found at the top of this letter and at the top of all prescriptions.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19-free hospital sites have been created for cancer care in England; and what plans there are to deliver additional such sites in the next four weeks.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement have published guidance and supported the development of ‘hubs’ for cancer surgery. Hubs are being developed in all 21 Alliance areas across England and are already fully or partially operational in at least 18 areas. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with all Cancer Alliances on plans for the next phases of service delivery.

Hospitals: Protective Clothing

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which body is responsible for buying personal protective equipment in a district general hospital.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Public Health England is responsible for emergency stocks for all NHS England facilities.

Jo Churchill: National Health Service trusts are responsible for buying personal protective equipment. They can source this from the NHS Supply Chain or other sources.Public Health England is responsible for the emergency stockpile of personal protective equipment for the NHS in England.

Health Services: Protective Clothing

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent competition for supplies of personal protective equipment (a) between (i) individuals, (ii) hospitals and (iii) surgeries and (b) between (A) local and (B) national supply.

Jo Churchill: A new, dedicated unit has been set up to focus on securing supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). It is working to ensure that PPE matches specification, supply chains are secure, fraud is mitigated and the best value for money is achieved in a high demand market.This is enabling us to coordinate the procurement of PPE through an open source approach.

NHS Trusts: Protective Clothing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many requests for personal protective equipment have been made by NHS Trusts since 1 January 2020; and how many of those requests have been completely fulfilled.

Jo Churchill: We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider National Health Service the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.The Government published ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan’ on 10 April. It incorporates guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, routes to ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and sets out actions to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis.Sourcing sufficient supplies of PPE is a challenge that many countries are facing. We are working to expand supply from overseas, improve domestic manufacturing capability and expand and improve the logistics network for delivering to the front line.The full weight of the Government is behind this effort and we are working closely with industry, social care providers, the NHS, and the army to ensure the right equipment continues to be delivered.

Cystic Fibrosis: Coronavirus

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government plans to provide for people who have cystic fibrosis and others who are extremely vulnerable and who may need to remain outside education or work long term.

Jo Churchill: Public safety throughout this period is the Government’s top priority. This includes keeping safe society’s most vulnerable.Shielding advice is kept under continuous review, to take into account currently available evidence. Guidance and support will remain in place until it is safe to remove it. Any changes in advice for the clinically extremely vulnerable will be communicated to them directly through a range of channels.

Children: Coronavirus

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether shielding for children with cystic fibrosis and others who are considered to be extremely vulnerable for covid-19 will continue after the reopening of schools; and how will that decision be communicated to relevant families.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 May 2020



Public safety throughout this period is the Government’s top priority. This includes keeping safe society’s most vulnerable.Shielding advice is kept under continuous review, to take into account currently available evidence. Guidance and support will remain in place until it is safe to remove it. Any changes in advice for the clinically extremely vulnerable will be communicated to them directly through a range of channels.

Hospices: Protective Clothing

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) Marie Curie, (b) Sue Ryder and (c) other hospice care groups have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Caroline Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that children’s hospices are able to procure personal protective equipment through push deliveries from the NHS Supply Chain.

Jo Churchill: We published a personal protective equipment (PPE) plan on 10 April, setting out clear guidance on who needs PPE and in what circumstances they need to use it, how sufficient supplies will be secured and distributed to the front line.The Government recognises the vital services that hospices provide across the United Kingdom. Distribution routes for PPE are constantly reviewed to strengthen and expand capacity, and efforts are currently being undertaken to boost the service to hospices.We have provided local resilience forums with supplies of PPE to help them respond to urgent local spikes in need across front-line services, including hospices.The National Supply Disruption Response exists as an emergency escalation route who handle queries including the supply of PPE as a last resort.

Cancer: Health Services

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to reschedule as soon as possible cancer treatments and operations that were cancelled as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in hospitals.

Jo Churchill: A letter was issued to trusts on 29 April detailing the Second Phase of Response to COVID-19. This letter sets out that:Local systems and Cancer Alliances must continue to identify ring-fenced diagnostic and surgical capacity for cancer, and providers must protect and deliver cancer surgery and cancer treatment by ensuring that cancer surgery hubs are fully operational. Full use should be made of the available contracted independent sector hospital and diagnostic capacity locally and regionally. Regional cancer Senior Responsible Officers must now provide assurance that these arrangements are in place everywhere.Treatment must be brought back to pre-pandemic levels at the earliest opportunity to minimise potential harm, and to reduce the scale of the post-pandemic surge in demand.

Hospitals: Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to create covid-19-free hospital sites suitable for the treatment of cancer patients.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 May 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement have published guidance and supported the development of ‘hubs’ for cancer surgery. Hubs are being developed in all 21 Alliance areas across England and are already fully or partially operational in at least 18 areas. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with all Cancer Alliances on plans for the next phases of service delivery.

Cancer: Coronavirus

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the effect of covid-19 on people living with cancer.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 May 2020



The National Health Service is adapting how it runs its cancer services to ensure the safety of both patients and staff. Cancer specialists are discussing with their patients the potential risks to them, either through undergoing or to delay treatment at this time.A letter was issued to trusts on 29 April detailing the Second Phase of Response to COVID-19. This letter sets out that:Local systems and Cancer Alliances must continue to identify ring-fenced diagnostic and surgical capacity for cancer, and providers must protect and deliver cancer surgery and cancer treatment by ensuring that cancer surgery hubs are fully operational. Full use should be made of the available contracted independent sector hospital and diagnostic capacity locally and regionally. Regional cancer Senior Responsible Officers must now provide assurance that these arrangements are in place everywhere.Treatment must be brought back to pre-pandemic levels at the earliest opportunity to minimise potential harm, and to reduce the scale of the post-pandemic surge in demand.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions have there been to Nightingale hospitals; and how many deaths have occurred within them.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



The information is not available in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when and how the Government plans to communicate changes to shielding advice to people with cystic fibrosis and other people in the extremely vulnerable group during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Shielding advice is kept under review, taking into account currently available evidence. We will issue further guidance about shielding and social distancing for clinically vulnerable groups as new evidence emerges.The Government understands how challenging this period is, especially for those with long term conditions, and is doing everything possible to support the clinically extremely vulnerable. This includes clearly communicating any changes in advice for this group so those shielding are confident they are receiving the correct information for them.

Coronavirus: Smoking

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment Public Health England has made of the implications for its policies of recent research that cigarette smokers are less likely to contract covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



Public Health England (PHE) is monitoring the developing evidence on smoking and COVID-19 to inform its advice to the public and local and national healthcare systems.At the request of PHE, an independent rapid review of the evidence on smoking and COVID-19 by researchers from University College London and the Royal Veterinary College will be updated regularly as a living review. The most recent report is available at the following link:https://www.qeios.com/read/UJR2AW.2PHE advice remains that smokers should quit; there is no evidence to justify changing that advice.

Coronavirus: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support his Department is providing to NHS trusts in the North West to tackle the increase in cases of covid-19 in that region.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



The North West runs a robust process, led by the Regional Medical Director, working with three critical care networks in the region ensuring trusts in the region have access to all the appropriate resources to manage patient care.Additional capacity has been established within each trust to ensure that there is capacity and capability for the increase of patients with COVID-19 requiring care including oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilatory support and mechanical ventilation.Trusts, through their critical care network, have requested additional equipment from the national team where a need has been identified, to ensure each is well supplied and able to support the changing needs of the situation.

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether vitamin D levels of patients are being tested in hospitals; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the extent of vitamin D deficiencies due to the covid-19 lockdown.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



The specific tests undertaken on patients are based upon clinical need and are decided by clinicians. No assessment has been made of COVID-19 and Vitamin D status, and deficiency, due to the COVID-19 lockdown. However, Public Health England is considering any new evidence as it emerges. New guidance announced by the Prime Minister also allows most people to now take unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the advice from the British Dietetic Association, British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and Royal College of Nursing that the fitting of (a) naso-gastric and (b) naso-jejunal feeding tubes should be categorised as aerosol generating procedures for the purposes of personal protective equipment.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



The United Kingdom Government has published clear guidance on appropriate personal protective equipment for health and social care workers and provides a list of current procedures which are considered to be potentially infectious aerosol generating procedures for COVID-19. This guidance has been written and reviewed by all four UK public health bodies and informed by National Health Service infection prevention control experts, Health Protection Scotland evidence reviews and the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. The guidance is regularly revised according to clinical guidance.

Hospitals: Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which covid-free hospitals are specifically dedicated to the treatment of people with cancer; and on what date each such hospital started in that capacity.

Jo Churchill: Details of all the facilities currently being used for cancer treatment are not collected centrally. This will be a mix of National Health Service and independent sector facilities.NHS England and NHS Improvement have published guidance and supported the development of ‘hubs’ for cancer surgery. Hubs are being developed in all 21 Alliance areas across England and are already fully or partially operational in at least 18 areas. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working now with all Cancer Alliances on plans for the next phases of service delivery.

Chronic Illnesses: Medical Treatments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the people who have been advised by the Government to shield at home for 12 weeks in response to the covid-19 outbreak (a) are undergoing active chemotherapy (b) have lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy; (c) have a cancer of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment (d) are having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer; (e) are having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors; (f) have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last six months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs; (g) have severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary; (h) have severe combined immunodeficiency and homozygous sickle cell or other rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections; (i) are on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection and (j) are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.

Jo Churchill: This data is currently unavailable.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people received chemotherapy treatment in (a) April 2019 and (b) April 2020 for the treatment of (i) breast cancer, (ii) bowel cancer, (iii) lung cancer, (iv) blood cancer and (v) prostate cancer.

Jo Churchill: The data in the following table shows first or subsequent treatment of all anti-cancer drug regimens (including ‘cytotoxic chemotherapy’, ‘hormone therapy’, ‘immunotherapy’ and ‘other’) for April 2019:BreastLower GastrointestinalLungHaematologicalUrological3,4581,0601,2471,9503,354The data for April 2020 is due to be published in June 2020.

Blood Cancer: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) men (b) women with blood cancer in each age group have (i) contracted covid-19 (ii) received intensive care support and (iii) died with covid-19.

Jo Churchill: This data is not currently held.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on covid-19 of the research by Professor Philip Calder of the University of Southampton and others, entitled Optimal Nutritional Status for a Well-Functioning Immune System is an Important Factor to Protect Against Viral Infections, published on 23 April 2020.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 May 2020



Public Health England (PHE) is aware of the paper by Professor Calder. PHE considers any new, high quality evidence on COVID-19 and nutrition, as it emerges and seeks advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition as appropriate.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a risk analysis of the potential effect of easing the lockdown on the prevalence of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 12 May 2020



Transparency, including on the evidence informing the views of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), is vital in helping to maintain the public’s trust and grow our collective understanding of the disease, while also helping to explain how scientific advice to the Government is being formed. The Government is working to publish regularly the evidence documents and studies on issues including the lockdown and prevalence which have formed the basis of SAGE’s discussions and advice to Ministers. More evidence will be published in the coming weeks.

Social Services: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure public health oversight of the management of covid-19 in social care settings.

Jo Churchill: Our action plan for adult social care published on 16 April reiterates that local authorities are the lead local agency for responding to COVID-19 in social care. Local authority directors of public health have statutory responsibility for exercising their local authority’s functions in planning for, and responding to, emergencies that present a risk to the public’s health, so we expect them to closely engaged in management and oversight of local action on COVID-19 in care settings.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that directors of public health lead the local response to covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Directors of Public Health are critical to the local response to COVID-19. Public Health England (PHE) has worked closely with Directors of Public Health throughout the COVID-19 response, within multiagency structures, such as Strategic Coordinating Groups, and jointly through health protection teams.On 7 May, the Minister of State for Care (Helen Whately MP) wrote to Directors of Public Health to ask them to lead work with Directors of Adult Social Services, local National Health Service providers, and PHE Regional Directors to ensure that testing of staff and residents in care settings is more joined up, and that available national capacity is targeted to areas and care homes with the greatest need.In addition, PHE is working closely with Association of Directors of Public Health, SOLACE and the Local Government Association to develop the system needed for contact tracing at local, regional and national levels. Letters to Directors of Public Health from PHE are published at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contact-tracing-letter-to-directors-of-public-health

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies: Disclosure of Information

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish the scientific (a) advice and (b) evidence provided to SAGE on covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Transparency, including on the evidence informing the views of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), is vital in helping to maintain the public’s trust and grow our collective understanding of the disease, while also helping to explain how scientific advice to the Government is being formed. The Government is working to publish evidence documents and studies which have formed the basis of SAGE’s discussions and advice, on issues including the lockdown and prevalence, to Ministers regularly and will publish more evidence in the coming weeks.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of the EU’s proposed World Health Assembly 73 Resolution on the covid-19 response.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



The United Kingdom engaged actively in negotiations on the Resolution, which we have co-sponsored. We are pleased to see the draft Resolution on the COVID-19 response has been adopted by the 73rd World Health Assembly.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the wearing of home-made salt-coated face masks by the general public during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Government continues to be led by the evidence in our response to COVID-19. Following Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies advice, we think there will be some benefit for people wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces where social distancing is not possible or where they are more likely to come into contact with people they do not normally meet. This is most relevant on public transport or in some shops.Comprehensive guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Chi Onwurah: To ask the secretary of state for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of supply of HRT drugs.

Jo Churchill: We are aware of ongoing supply issues with some hormone replacement therapy (HRT) preparations for a variety of reasons.The National Health Service receives regular updates on the supply situation and availability of HRT products, and we are continuing to engage with organisations such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and the British Menopausal Society.We have been working closely with all suppliers to resolve the issues as quickly as possible and maintain overall supply to patients. Although some HRT products are still affected by supply issues, alternatives remain available, and the overall supply situation has been improving since February 2020 and will continue to improve over the coming months.

Influenza: Vaccination

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allow GP practices to administer flu vaccines to their own staff members.

Jo Churchill: General practitioners are able to administer the flu vaccine to their own staff as part of their occupational health responsibilities to staff working in their practice. Advice is available at the following links:https://www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/latest-updates-and-advice/providing-work-related-vaccinations-to-practice-staffhttps://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/written-instruction-for-the-administration-of-seasonal-flu-vaccination/

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) drugs and (b) therapies for covid-19 are being assessed by his Department.

Jo Churchill: Treatments for COVID-19 are currently being trialled in both large Phase III and smaller Phase II clinical trials. The Phase III trials underway include the PRINCIPLE, RECOVERY and REMAP-CAP trials which cover primary, acute and intensive care settings.As of 13 May 2020, RECOVERY trial drugs included: dexamethasone, lopinavir/ritonavir; hydroxychloroquine; hydrocortisone; prednisolone; methylprednisolone; azithromycin; and tocilizumab. The PRINCIPLE trial drugs included hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. The REMAP-CAP trial drugs included: Lopinavir/ritonavir; Hydroxychloroquine; corticosteroids; interferon-beta; anakinra; tocilizumab; sarilumab; and heparin. In addition, convalescent plasma is being trialled through REMAP-CAP.As of 13 May 2020, drugs being tested through ACCORD, a Phase II clinical trial platform, included: bemcentinib; MEDI3506; ravuilizumab; baricitinib; and Gemtuzamab ozogamicin.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish the model and input parameters used by Imperial College London in their paper entitled Report 9: Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand, which informed Government policy on the covid-19 lockdown.

Jo Churchill: The model referred to in the question is not held by the Government. It is held by its creators, and we understand the code for the Imperial model has been made available online by the authors. The information it provides will be an element considered by Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) when reaching its consensus statement to share with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. SPI-M consensus statements and supporting documents are published periodically and can be found on GOV.UK.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis for the Government decision not to recommend that the public wear face masks in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis for the decision to close schools in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis for the decision to not cancel mass events at the start of March 2020 in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis for the decision not to require health checks and quarantine in response to the covid-19 outbreak for travellers entering the UK.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidential basis for not following the response of (a) South Korea, (b) Singapore, (c) Taiwan, (d) Hong Kong and other places with experience of coronavirus outbreaks.

Jo Churchill: We recognise that transparency is important in these unprecedented times. Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advice and papers are not generally published until after an emergency has ended. However, given the extended nature of the pandemic, we have already published some of the statements and the accompanying evidence. These publications can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-responseIn addition, it is intended to further speed up the publication SAGE papers over the coming weeks.

Coronavirus: Schools

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of rates of transmission of covid-19 in primary school settings.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the rate of transmission of covid-19 in secondary schools.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the rate of transmission of covid-19 in nursery settings.

Jo Churchill: Data are not available for the rates of transmission of COVID-19 in primary and secondary schools and nursery settings.

Public Health

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish Public Health England’s Global Health Strategy agreed to before the outbreak of covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Publication of the Public Health England (PHE) Global Health Strategy has been delayed until later in 2020. This is to allow for any changes that may be needed to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PHE’s future contribution to Government action, to support strengthening of global health security.

Coronavirus: Research

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper by Alisa Fox et al. titled Evidence of a significant secretory-IgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk following recovery from COVID-19, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of applying the findings of the study of antibodies in human breast milk to the treatment of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



The importance of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is recognised in the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 infection. At present there are a range of clinical trial initiatives in the United Kingdom in which treatments are being carefully evaluated, including. Some known sources of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The REMAP-CAP clinical trial involves two sites at which plasma from patients who are convalescing after COVID-19 infection are being clinically evaluated. Plasma is collected at least 28 days after recovery so that antibody levels have increased significantly.Other initiatives are bringing forward candidate treatments that, although promising, cannot be immediately deployed as they will require further research before they can be safely evaluated in human trials. Alternative sources of antibodies, such as the source described in this publication, may be in scope for consideration if other approaches fail.

Coronavirus: Death

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who have (a) been infected with and (b) died from covid-19 were (i)	British nationals, (ii) EEA or Swiss citizens, (iii) family members of EEA or Swiss citizens, (iv) Non-EEA or Swiss nationals with indefinite leave to remain or a right of abode, (v) Non-EEA or Swiss nationals with any temporary leave to remain and (vi) Foreign nationals with no leave to enter or remain in the UK.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



This information is not available in the format requested.

General Practitioners: Video Conferencing

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP surgeries have offered online video appointments since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Data provided by NHSX, based on information received from suppliers indicates that 6,369 general practices in England, or 94% of the total, had video consultation capabilities as at 11 May 2020.

Drugs: Prices

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether there has been a change in the price of medicines and drugs for the NHS and pharmacists since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The costs of branded medicines are controlled by the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the statutory scheme for branded medicines.For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.We continuously monitor overall movements in changes in prices of medicines through various methods including data from suppliers using the provisions in the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018. However, it is too early to assess the full financial impact on the National Health Service and pharmacies in light of COVID-19.

Influenza: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that vulnerable people receive a flu vaccination before winter 2020-21.

Jo Churchill: Flu vaccination starts in September each year. Public Health England is developing a marketing campaign, which will be launched ahead of the flu season, to encourage uptake of flu vaccination amongst those who are most at risk of flu.We have also published the Annual Flu letter 2020/21 to ensure that local areas have plans to deliver activities to encourage those in at risk groups to have the vaccine. The letter is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884718/Annual_flu_letter_short_2020_to_2021_v8__002_.pdf To increase patient choice, adults who are eligible will be able to access the vaccine through their local community pharmacy, as well as via their general practice.

Mesothelioma

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire, (c) the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, and (d) Rother Valley constituency in 2019.

Jo Churchill: Data on the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma are not available in the format requested. The latest cancer registration data for 2018 is available to view at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cancer-registration-statistics-england-2018The 2019 cancer registration data is not yet available. It is due to be published in spring 2021.

Exercise Cygnus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May to Question 38420, what lessons resulted from Exercise Cygnus in relation to the importance of (a) personal protective equipment and (b) availability of intensive care beds in preparation for infectious disease outbreaks; whether those lessons were applied; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



The lessons identified from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners.Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus and advice received since have informed our preparedness. Since Exercise Cygnus, health sector plans to surge and flex National Health Service systems and resources (including critical care) beyond normal operations have been strengthened and stockpiles of personal protective equipment specifically for an influenza pandemic have been kept under review.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people in the clinically vulnerable category who cannot work from home should stay at home during the covid-19 outbreak in the event that (a) their employer cannot guarantee that social distancing will be possible at all times in the workplace and (b) they cannot travel to work in a way in which social distancing can be adhered to; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Guidance for adults who are clinically vulnerable remains that they should follow stringent social distancing measures. We continue to advise those who are clinically extremely vulnerable to shield at home until at least the end of June.

Coronavirus: Public Transport

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what public health guidance has been issued on (a) how (i) masks and (ii) gloves should be used by people on public transport, (b) how those masks and gloves should be worn and (c) whether hand washing should also be conducted.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered the very limited evidence available on the use of face coverings and advised that there was some positive benefit for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. However, the main ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are social distancing and washing hands regularly. Therefore, gloves are not recommended as it is more effective to wash your hands regularly, for at least 20 seconds, and to ensure that you do not touch your face. Gloves may provide a false sense of confidence to people wearing them, who then pay less attention to these important actions.The Government is now advising wearing a face covering in situations where it is difficult to manage social distancing and there may be close contact with people the wearer would not usually meet, for example on public transport.Instructions on how to make and use a face covering are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-coveringFurther guidance on the use of face coverings is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-safe-outside-your-home/staying-safe-outside-your-home#face-coverings

Exercise Cygnus: Disclosure of Information

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the principle of transparency set out on page 18 of the Government document entitled Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy, CP239, for what reason he has not published the scientific and technical advice arising from Exercise Cygnus; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 20 May 2020



Reports on exercises are not routinely published by the Department to allow full, candid and proper deliberation of the lessons learnt.The scientific and technical advice from Exercise Cygnus was based on a hypothetical scenario for a fictional influenza pandemic and is therefore not suitable for publication.Lessons from Exercise Cygnus, in conjunction with expert advice, continue to be used in planning for a future influenza pandemic and inform policy development.

Exercise Cygnus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to  Question 37613 on Disease Control, what outcomes of Exercise Cygnus were; and what work his Department (a) stopped and (b) commenced following that exercise.

Jo Churchill: Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise has ensured that the United Kingdom remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons identified from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, such as development of draft legislation support to the response to a future influenza pandemic and, strengthening health sector plans to surge and flex beyond normal operations.The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners in reviewing response plans.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people who have been tested positive for covid-19 are BAME.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 20 May 2020



Data on the proportion of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in England by ethnicity is publicly available in the weekly national surveillance reports. These can be accessed on the GOV.UK site at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reportsThe last report, based on week 19 (reflecting data up to 10 May 2020 and where available up to 13 May 2020) showed 17.8% of cases who are from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic group.

Obesity

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce increasing levels of obesity.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) is working to address excess weight and obesity and support the Government’s aim to halve childhood obesity and reduce the gap in obesity rates between children from the most and least deprived areas by 2030, set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan (2016) and follow up Chapter 2 (2018).PHE is doing this by working with the food industry on the reduction and reformulation programme to make everyday food and drinks healthier; enabling healthier weight environments, including supporting local authorities to take a place-based systems approach to obesity; supporting the local delivery of evidence-based, effective and sustainable weight management services; and supporting children and families through the use of digital technologies.The Government recently published recovery strategy, ‘Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy’ (2020) reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the obesity agenda going forward. The Strategy can be viewed at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884760/Our_plan_to_rebuild_The_UK_Government_s_COVID-19_recovery_strategy.pdf

Obesity: Health Services

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the effect of high levels of obesity on NHS services.

Jo Churchill: The Government has outlined steps to halve childhood obesity rates by 2030 through cutting sugar from half the drinks on sale, funding more opportunities for children to exercise in schools, and working with councils to tackle child obesity locally through ground-breaking programmes.It is also critical to understand how different factors, including obesity, could be disproportionally impacting how people are affected by COVID-19.Public Health England launched a review into the factors affecting health outcomes from COVID-19, to include ethnicity, gender and obesity. This will be published by the end of May.As outlined in the United Kingdom Government’s Recovery Strategy, the Government is committed to investing in preventative and personalised solutions to ill-health, empowering individuals to live healthier and more active lives, which will help to mitigate pressures faced by NHS services.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including the loss of smell and taste as a potential symptom of covid-19 on the NHS covid-19 website.

Jo Churchill: Following the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ statement on 18 May 2020 advising that a loss or changed sense of normal smell or taste (anosmia) can be a symptom of COVID-19, the National Health Service website has been updated to reflect this. Further information out the potential symptoms of COVID-19 is available online at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/

Coronavirus: Older People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people aged over 70 years old are (a) clinically vulnerable and (b) advised to shield for 12 weeks from 23 March 2020 as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and whether people in that age group are able to move house.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 20 May 2020



People aged 70 and over are at higher risk of severe illness if they catch the virus and are considered to be clinically vulnerable. Our advice for people aged 70 and over is to practice stringent social distancing to minimise contact with others outside their household, but not to shield unless advised by their general practitioner (GP) or clinician.Only those who are considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to shield. Anyone who is 70 or over who has been advised to shield by the National Health Service or their GP should continue to do this until at least the end of June.We recognise that some over 70s who are shielding or otherwise vulnerable may also have a pressing need to move home; however, this should be balanced with the increased risks presented by COVID-19 and the medical advice for such people, including on staying at home and avoiding unnecessary contacts over this period, if at all possible.

Processed Food

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to work with the food and drink industry on reducing the sugar and salt content of their products.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) oversees the sugar and wider reduction and reformulation programme on behalf of the Government, as set out in chapters one and two of the childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green Paper. PHE runs the programme, which includes food and drink industry engagement, to achieve the programme’s targets. PHE monitors and regularly reports on their progress.In 2019, PHE published its second report on industry progress towards achieving the Government’s ambition on sugar reduction. The report shows a mixed picture of progress for food categories in scope and relevant businesses. Continued progress was reported on drinks that are subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. The report is available to view at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-progress-between-2015-and-2018PHE published the first detailed assessment of progress for the salt reduction programme in December 2018. PHE is now working on the development of revised salt targets as set out in the Government’s Prevention Green Paper ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’. Further information can be viewed at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salt-targets-2017-progress-reporthttps://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/advancing-our-health-prevention-in-the-2020s

Exercise Cygnus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer of 4 May 2020   to Question 41129, whether actions, implementation and follow-up plans were developed after Exercise Cygnus; and whether those plans were directly provided to the care sector.

Jo Churchill: The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and a range of stakeholders, including expert advisory groups and local emergency planners in reviewing response plans.Taking the recommendations from Exercise Cygnus, the Department commissioned further work on pandemic influenza preparedness from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. This was completed in the spring of 2018 and included advice and guidance on planning for a pandemic, which was circulated to Directors of Adult Social Services.

Smoking

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is for banning the sale and production of menthol cigarettes in the UK.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 20 May 2020



The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), introduced a ban on flavoured cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco. The only exception was for menthol cigarettes where a four-year extension was allowed for the ban to come into force. This expired on 20 May 2020.The published impact assessment of the TRPR, along with backed up by the international evidence base, states that menthol cigarettes act as a gateway into smoking, have particular appeal amongst young people, and that there is a misconception that they are healthier to smoke.The introduction of the ban will save lives. Stopping smoking now will bring immediate benefits to health, including for those with an existing smoking-related disease.

NHS and Social Services: Protective Clothing

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average (a) hold and (b) process time is for orders placed through the national supply disruption response service helpline.

Jo Churchill: The National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR) was rapidly stood up in March 2020 to respond to supply disruption of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a result of COVID-19. Since then, the NSDR has made over 4,000 emergency deliveries of PPE.The NSDR operates a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline for those in urgent need of PPE and other supplies which they are unable to source through their usual routes. Between 11 and 18 May the average call centre wait time was 1.19 seconds. Over the same period the average case resolution time was 1.97 days.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prescriptions are affordable and accessible for those who (a) have been furloughed or (b) are awaiting access to universal credit.

Jo Churchill: A broad range of National Health Service prescription charge exemptions are in place to help those with greatest need, including those on a low income.The new FP10 NHS prescription form, which includes a tick box for Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free prescriptions, has been in use since January. If a patient is waiting for a decision on their claim they should pay for their prescription and claim a refund of the charge from the NHS Business Services Authority once notified of their award by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department had made of the financial effect on people with low incomes of the NHS prescription levy increase.

Jo Churchill: People on a low income can seek help under the NHS Low Income Scheme, which provides help with health costs on an income-related basis.Prescription charges are a valuable income source for the National Health Service, contributing £591.9 million in revenue for the financial year 2018/19, enabling more services to be provided for more people.

Prescriptions

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the accessibility of prescriptions to people that are are self-isolating during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department has not made an assessment of individual accessibility. However, a National Health Service Medicine Delivery Service has been commissioned from both community pharmacies and dispensing doctors to ensure delivery of medicines to patients who have been identified as ‘shielded’ where they cannot identify a family member, friend or volunteer to collect them.Other vulnerable patients, including those isolating, can also make use of volunteers to get their medicines delivered.

Department for Education

Teachers: Protective Clothing

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement of 10 May 2020, what steps he will take to ensure that teachers returning to work have access to adequate personal protective equipment.

Nick Gibb: On 11 May 2020, we published new guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings#shielded-and-clinically-vulnerable-children-and-young-people As the guidance sets out, wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended. Face coverings may be beneficial for short periods indoors where there is a risk of close social contact with people you do not usually meet and where social distancing and other measures cannot be maintained, for example on public transport or in some shops. This does not apply to schools or other education settings. Schools and other education or childcare settings should therefore not require staff or children to wear face coverings. Changing habits, cleaning and hygiene are effective measures in controlling the spread of the virus. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is only needed in a very small number of cases, which are set out in the published guidance. In these very specific circumstances, education providers should use their local supply chains to obtain PPE. These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Children: Day Care

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 10 May 2020, what support will be made available to people who have childcare responsibilities who may now be required to go back to work.

Vicky Ford: Schools and childcare providers have remained open for children of critical workers and vulnerable children, and parents are strongly encouraged to take up those places.From Wednesday 13 May, all workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open. Employers should be as flexible as possible to support their employees with childcare responsibilities.We want to get children back into education and childcare as soon as possible because it is the best place for them to learn. From 1 June we have asked primary schools to prepare to reopen to children in Nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6. Secondary schools have been asked to offer support year 10 and 12 students. We have also asked early years providers (including childminders) to open to children of all ages. This will also support more families to be able return to work.Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, childminders have been asked to continue caring for vulnerable children and children of critical workers. To align with the government’s position on nannies, we have confirmed that paid childcare can be provided to the children of one household from Wednesday 13 May 2020. This includes childminders, who may choose to look after the children of one household if they are not already looking after vulnerable children or those of critical workers. From 1 June 2020, childminders can look after children of all ages, in line with their current Ofsted registration, and within usual limits on the number of children they can care for.

Childminding: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department plans to make available for childminders who are not able to work due to falling into the extremely vulnerable category during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether childminders with underlying health conditions will continue to receive Government financial support while shielding during the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: Our guidance for early years providers details the package of support the government has put in place for workers and businesses which will benefit childcare settings, including:Confirmation that the government will continue to pay local authorities for free early years entitlement places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds;The Self-employment Income Support Scheme for those who are self-employed or members of a partnership and have lost income due to COVID-19. The scheme allows individuals to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for 3 months. HMRC will contact individuals who are eligible and invite them to apply online; andFor the self-employed (including childminders), the minimum income floor will also be temporarily relaxed, meaning Universal Credit can be accessed at a rate to match statutory sick pay.The guidance can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#fundingThroughout the coronavirus outbreak, childminders have been asked to continue caring for vulnerable children and children of critical workers. To align with the government’s position on nannies, we have confirmed that paid childcare can be provided to the children of one household from Wednesday 13 May 2020. This includes childminders, who may choose to look after the children of one household if they are not already looking after vulnerable children or those of critical workers. From 1 June 2020, childminders can look after children of all ages, in line with their current Ofsted registration, and within usual limits on the number of children they can care for.

Department for Education: Chief Scientific Advisers

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser (a) from 1 September to 30 November 2019 and (b) from 1 December 2019 to 29 February 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department, attended 1 meeting with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education during the time period a) from 1 September to 30 November 2019. He also attended 1 meeting with the Secretary of State during the time period b) from 1 December 2019 to 29 February 2020.

Internet: Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to hold discussions with representatives from (a) Ofcom and (b) telecommunications providers on making educational websites free to access for university and college students during the covid-19 lockdown.

Michelle Donelan: There are no plans to discuss with Ofcom or telecommunications providers making educational websites free to access for university and college students during the COVID-19 lockdown. Due to the wide range of online educational resources used by the higher education (HE) and further education sectors, our focus has been on enabling universities and colleges to support provision of internet access to students which need it. Colleges are able to provide Internet access to disadvantaged 16 to 19-year-old learners using their flexible bursary funding. We have ensured that they can apply for additional funding to do this if needed. As part of the HE stabilisation package, the government has worked closely with the Office for Students to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding, worth around £23 million per month for April through to July, towards student hardship funds, including for the purchase of IT equipment and mental health support as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new universal credit applicants there have been in each month since March 2020; and how many of those new applicants have successfully applied for a universal credit advance loan payment.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



The department publishes weekly management information, every Tuesday, on the number of Universal Credit declarations (claims) and Universal Credit Advances paid by the four advance types. It is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-declarations-claims-and-advances-management-information

Universal Credit: Appeals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who requested a mandatory reconsideration of their universal credit claim before the covid-19 outbreak are awaiting the outcome; what the average wait is for universal credit mandatory reconsiderations; and what steps she is taking to ensure that people are supported while waiting for the outcome of those reconsiderations.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



5% of the Mandatory Reconsiderations recorded prior to the CV19 outbreak are awaiting a decision. Where a decision has been made, the average time to reach a decision is 26 calendar days. Benefit claimants may also be eligible for assistance from their local Council through Local Welfare Support schemes. Councils will be able to use funding from the new £500 million Hardship Fund to provide further discretionary support to vulnerable people through other support arrangements such as Local Welfare Schemes.

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of trends in the number of universal credit applications during the covid-19 outbreak on the ability of her Department to process applications in a timely manner.

Will Quince: In response to unprecedented numbers of new claims, the Department has taken steps to ensure that people get the support they need quickly. The latest payment time statistics show over 90% of new eligible claimants are paid in full and on time. Data on payment timeliness up to April 2020 will be available on Stat-Xplore from 11th August The latest available information on Universal Credit payment timeliness is published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found athttps://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html Notes:Payment timeliness is published with a further month between the publication date and the latest period being published for other UC household official statistics. This is because the data is subject to a lot of retrospection. Publishing data earlier would lead to relatively large revisions and to a loss of confidence in the earlier figures. This is the earliest payment timeliness can be published when balancing the needs of quality and timeliness of the statistics.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of parents with care living in poverty as a result of decreases to or cessation of child maintenance payments through the Child Maintenance Service due to a decrease in the income of a non-resident parent.

Mims Davies: The Government recognises that the income of many separated parents is being impacted by the public health emergency and some receiving parents may receive less maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s drop in income. There is insufficient data to estimate the precise economic impact on different groups.Paying parents are still expected to pay child maintenance throughout this period. Our priority is to maintain the flow of maintenance that is currently being paid, by easing the financial pressure on paying parents and ensuring that we transfer the payments as quickly as possible to receiving parents. Measures have been introduced to support both paying and receiving parents, whose income drops as a result of the public health emergency. These include increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by over £1000 per year, benefiting over 4 million of the most vulnerable households. We have also increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Welfare: Inspections

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of district councils in Kent that have their own animal welfare inspectors.

Victoria Prentis: Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, local authorities in England are required to appoint one or more suitably qualified inspectors to inspect premises requiring licensing under the regulations, including those relating to dog breeding, pet selling, hiring out horses, animal exhibits and animal boarding. Local authorities appoint such inspectors using powers under section 51 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Local authority animal welfare inspectors also carry out inspections in relation to welfare in transport, on-farm welfare and, particularly in Kent, helping to tackle illegal imports of dogs. It is for local authorities, such as those within Kent, to determine how to prioritise their resources as well as the number of animal inspectors they appoint under the Animal Welfare Act. We do not hold data centrally on the number of inspectors appointed under the Act.

Home Office

Asylum: Glasgow

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are accommodated in hotels in Glasgow.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum seekers in accommodation in hotels in Glasgow are supported under (a) Section 98 and (b) Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and of those supported under Section 4 how many were granted that support due to the covid-19 lockdown.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers in accommodation in hotels in Glasgow will be reinstated back into self-contained flats after covid-19 lockdown measures are eased.

Chris Philp: Hotel usage is permitted under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts as contingency accommodation. There are currently 350 Service Users being accommodated in hotels in Glasgow. Of these 299 are being housed under s98, 37 under s4 and 14 being housed under s95. We do not hold data on those being accommodated specifically as a result of the COVID 19 lockdown (the data provided is internal locally held and is subject to change). It is Home Office policy to move people into suitable Dispersed Accommodation (DA) once their claim for support has been assessed. Mears and the Home Office work closely with Glasgow City Council on procurement of properties and it is our intention, once restrictions on movement are lifted, to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable DA.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the £1.5 million to protect vulnerable places of worship through the Places of Worship Protective Security Programme has been distributed to those places of worship.

Kit Malthouse: The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme has awarded funding to 49 places of worship in the 2019/2020 round. Funding for this scheme has been doubled to £3.2 million for 2020/2021.

Cabinet Office

Mortuaries: Coronavirus

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many temporary mortuaries (a) have been built and (b) are in use as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and what the capacity is of each of those facilities.

Penny Mordaunt: Additional mortuary capacity has been procured by a range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including central government departments, NHS trusts, local authorities and funeral directors, to ensure that the deceased are treated with dignity and respect. We do not hold detailed information on the capacity or utilisation rate of unlicensed private sector sites maintained by the estimated 5,000 or so funeral directors in England.The Cabinet Office has procured units to provide up to 30,000 additional temporary mortuary spaces across the UK, as part of the government’s responsible contingency planning for a reasonable worst case scenario.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is working closely with local partners to support them in their preparations. The Ministry of Justice are working to support the sector, and are working with DWP to ensure the bereaved are supported, including speeding up the processing time for Funeral Expense Payments.

Mass Media: Coronavirus

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, what criteria his Department used for selecting the (a) print and (b) online news publications that received government-funded advertising on covid-19.

Chloe Smith: In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. These titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.

Newspaper Press: Coronavirus

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, if he will list all newspaper print and online titles that as at 11 May 2020 received Government-funded advertising on covid-19 arising from the Government programme to support news media.

Chloe Smith: In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. Importantly, all these titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level and are verified by our media auditors.A list of publications involved in the partnership will be placed in the Commons Library.

Veterans: Coronavirus

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the future need of veterans as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to making sure the United Kingdom is the best place to be a veteran anywhere in the world. We recognise that COVID-19 will present new and particular challenges to veterans. Ministers and officials, in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, the Ministry Of Defence and other departments, have regular engagement with veterans and the Armed Forces charity sector and this has continued during COVID 19. The Government is currently developing its understanding of how COVID 19 has changed the needs of veterans and how we can meet those requirements. This will guide future iterations of the Government's Strategy for our Veterans.